Letterman speaks up for Leno
September 4, 2008
Filed under: Late Night, Celebrities, Talk Show, Reality-Free
While NBC is carefully plotting Jay Leno’s exit from The Tonight Show, David Letterman is talking about staying on the CBS Late Show beyond 2010. And since the subject of Leno came up, Dave thinks the guys at NBC are nuts to treat Jay the way they are, especially since he’s done such a great job in the 11:30 slot. Letterman even stated he wants Jay on his show the day after his Tonight Show tenure ends.
Letterman, who was once the heir apparent to Johnny Carson’s desk but was passed over in favor of Leno, has thrived on CBS although he was crushed to lose The Tonight Show. The supposed feud between Letterman and Leno, and their competition for The Tonight Show, was depicted in the HBO film (and Bill Carter book) The Late Shift. (If you’ve never seen it, buy or rent it; it’s one of the ideal films ever about how TV works behind the scenes.) Read more
If you like politics, check out TCM’s Wednesday lineup
September 3, 2008
Filed under: Programming, Reality-Free
While the Republicans are gathering in St. Paul for their national convention to confirm the candidacy of Senator John McCain as presiden,t and Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, Turner Classic Movies is presenting a night of alternative politics.
The cable channel going to present five movies about politics, and if you want to see how the world of running for public office has changed in the 20th century, these films are a fantastic reflection of the times.
The Daily Show: August 29, 2008 - VIDEOS
September 2, 2008
Filed under: OpEd, Video, The Daily Show, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
“The Heart of Hopeness”: Barack Obama delivered his acceptance speech the other night, to a stadium full of insanely excited Democrats. John Oliver filed a report live from the site of Obama’s speech. Man, John has really been putting himself on the line this week, being incredibly annoying in front of so many overexcited people. I mean, chanting “Osama!” at a massive crowd of Obama lovers is nearly a sure to bring about a beating, but he totally lucked out with some relatively mild verbal confrontation. Other great moments included dancing to Jeremiah Wright’s “white friends” song and making his move on hot strangers. As we would see later in the episode, it seems like the Democratic National Convention brought out the friskiness in the correspondents.
Continue reading The Daily Show: August 29, 2008 - VIDEOS
Obama’s speech shatters Nielsen ratings
September 1, 2008
Filed under: News, Programming, Ratings, Reality-Free
The reviews from the political talking heads — right and left — have been mostly positive. The visuals were spectacular and riveting. History was made at Mile High Stadium in Denver last night when Senator Barack Obama accepted the nomination of the Democratic celebration as the first African-American presidential candidate. There were 80,000 people packed in the stadium, and now Nielsen has determined that 38 million people tuned in to watch on Television.
How impressive is that number? It’s more than the opening ceremonies from the Beijing Olympics. It’s also more than the 2008 Oscars and the finale of Fox’s American Idol.
Obama’s speech shatters Nielsen ratings
August 31, 2008
Filed under: News, Programming, Ratings, Reality-Free
The reviews from the political speaking heads — right and left — have been mostly positive. The visuals were spectacular and riveting. History was made at Mile High Stadium in Denver last night when Senator Barack Obama accepted the nomination of the Democratic party as the first African-American presidential candidate. There were 80,000 people packed in the stadium, and now Nielsen has determined that 38 million people tuned in to watch on Television.
How impressive is that number? It’s more than the opening ceremonies from the Beijing Olympics. It’s also more than the 2008 Oscars and the finale of Fox’s American Idol.
What shows had the best seasons of the past 20 years?
August 30, 2008
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Comedy Shows, Programming, Reality-Free
August has been a slow month for these “Best XXXX of All-Time” and “Worst XXXX Sitcoms of the Decade” lists, but here’s an interesting one: the 20 ideal seasons of the last 20 years.
It’s an interesting subject for a list because Television fans can often agree on what shows are generally good or bad, and we have the ability to generally agree that even the ideal shows have bad seasons if they run long enough. But if you consider the shows that you’ve watched over the past 20 years (and watched all of the seasons, not just episodes here and there), what seasons stand out to you? Off the top of my head, before I even read the article, I thought of either season 2 or season 3 of The West Wing (the list writer picks season 2) and I would obviously pick a season of The X-Files or The Simpsons, though it would be hard to pick one season (he picks season 4 of the former and season 4 of the latter). Also on the list: season 2 of Buffy and season 1 of Deadwood. The first seasons of Friday Night Lights and Firefly? Really?
More Friends on 30 Rock: Jennifer Aniston to guest star this season
August 29, 2008
Filed under: Celebrities, 30 Rock, Casting, Reality-Free
Hey, if David Schwimmer can do it, why not Jennifer Aniston?
The rumors floating around have turned out to be true: the ex-Friends star is going to make a guest appearance on NBC’s 30 Rock this season. In fact, she’s filming the episode as I type this. Well, maybe not that sentence, but even as I type … this.
What’s On Tonight: DNC, U.S. Open, Football, Modern Marvels
August 28, 2008
Filed under: Programming, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
The news channels and C-SPAN have coverage of the last night of the Democratic National Convention. ABC, CBS, NBC, and some PBS stations join in at 10.- At 7, NBC has Preseason Football, the Jaguars vs. the Redskins.
- USA has more coverage of The U.S. Open starting at 7.
- At 8, CBS has a new Large Brother.
- Discovery Channel has two new episodes of Some Assembly Required at 8.
- At 9, History Channel has a new Modern Marvels, then a new episode of The Works.
- Cartoon Network has a new Total Drama Island at 9.
- Spike has a new TNA Impact at 9.
- At 10, Comedy Central has a new Gong Show, followed by a new Reality Bites Back.
- Food Network has a new Ace of Cakes at 10.
Check your local TV listings for more. Read more
The Daily Show: August 26, 2008 - VIDEOS
August 27, 2008
Filed under: OpEd, Video, The Daily Show, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
“Guess Who’s Coming to Denver?”: The Daily Show is back! They’ll be in Denver for the whole Democratic National Convention, workin’ their shiny new set. It’s pretty much just Jon’s “j” desk and a whole lot of big screens hanging in the back. The gang was in full form, and I believe this was the most I’ve laughed at the show in a while. Perhaps it only feels that way because the show has been gone for a week and a Monday. Thank goodness they returned, because I was starting to get the shakes.
Continue reading The Daily Show: August 26, 2008 - VIDEOS
The Middleman: The Clotharian Contamination Protocol
August 26, 2008
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S01E11) “We have vents big enough to crawl in through with accessible registers everywhere. Was this building designed by Television writers, or what?” –Wendy Watson
Well, well, Wendy Watson. Wow! Natalie Morales was possibly looking hotter than ever in the opening scene of tonight’s episode. it’s astonishing the depth of cleavage they are able to create with what assets she has. The power of Hollywood brassieres, I guess. My wife would kill for that magical ability. I wouldn’t be displeased either.
